Louella Michie court case: Friend told boyfriend 'fam, just act like you don't know her' as woman was dying of drug overdose at Bestival
Emotional day in court ends after family recount hearing news of daughter's death
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The family of a woman who was filmed as she died from a drug overdose at a music festival have given evidence at the trial of the man accused of her manslaugher.
Louella Fletcher-Michie, 24, daughter of Holby City actor John Michie, died after taking the Class A party drug 2-CP at the Dorset music festival Bestival on 11 September 2017.
Ceon Broughton, 29, from Enfield in north London, denies the charge and another of supplying the drug to Fletcher-Michie.
Ms Fletcher-Michie's mother Carol was among those giving evidence at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday.
In a 50-minute video shown to the court on Wednesday, Fletcher-Michie was seen shouting: “This is the best trip I have ever f***ing had.”
Mr Broughton ignored subsequent pleas from her family to seek help and continued to film even after she was dead, jurors at Winchester Crown Court heard.
Jurors were told Fletcher-Michie’s mother eventually contacted Mr Broughton at 6.48pm and heard her daughter “screeching” in the background.
She “dropped everything” and travelled with Mr Michie to the festival site at Lulworth Castle, the court heard.
Fletcher-Michie was found dead by security at around 1am on 11 September 2017 after Mr Broughton left her to seek help, the court was told.
Read below for the developments as they unfolded.
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Hello and welcome to The Independent's coverage of the trial of Ceon Broughton, accused of manslaughter following the death of his girlfriend Louella Fletcher-Michie from an overdose of the party drug 2-CP at the Dorset music festival Bestival in September 2017.
Adam Lusher reports live from Winchester Crown Court.
The court has previously heard Mr Broughton filmed Louella Fletcher-Michie's final moments.
Here's Chiara Giordano's report.
Yesterday at Winchester Crown Court, Louella Fletcher-Michie was seen on film at Bestival saying, “This is the best trip I have ever f***ing had”, allegedly while under the influence of the party drug 2-CP.
Samuel Osborne has more.
The jury will soon enter the court for the third day of the trial, in which Ceon Broughton, 29, is accused of manslaughter after he allegedly filmed a video of Holby City actor John Michie’s daughter Louella Fletcher-Michie as she overdosed on the drug 2C-P.
The jury has been shown a 51-minute video, taken by Broughton, which shows Louella as she overdosed at the Bestival festival in Dorset in September 2017.
The court has also heard that Louella’s parents rushed from London to Dorset after her mother Carol Fletcher-Michie telephoned Broughton and heard her daughter “screeching”.
Louella’s brother Sam also contacted Broughton and urged him to seek medical help, Winchester Crown Court has heard.
But Broughton sent Sam a message which said "call back in an hour" and referred to Louella as a "drama queen", the jury has been told.
At 1am on 11 September 2017, a security steward found Louella dead 400 metres from the festival's hospital tent, after Broughton had left her to seek help.
A health expert, the court heard, estimated that Louella would have had a 90 per cent chance of surviving the 2C-P overdose if there had been early medical intervention.
The jury has been shown a 51-minute video, taken by Broughton, which shows Louella as she overdosed.
Broughton, 29, of Enfield, north London, denies manslaughter and supplying Louella with 2C-P.
It is expected that Louella's mother Carol Fletcher-Michie will give evidence for the prosecution today.
The court has already heard that on the night her daughter died, she telephoned Broughton and heard her 24-year-old daughter screaming.
She and her husband, Holby City actor John Michie, were so worried they got in their car and drove 130 miles from their London home to the Bestival festival in Dorset, the jury has been told.
The prosecution also alleges that Broughton delayed going to seek help because, a month earlier, he had been given a 24-week suspended prison sentence, meaning he was worried about getting in further trouble with the law.
In previous days’ evidence, William Mousley QC, prosecuting, told the court: “To have acted positively, he knew would have exposed him to the possibility of arrest and prosecution for a criminal offence punishable with imprisonment."
"His failure to get her treatment which may well have saved her life was borne of selfishness and in self-preservation.”
For personal reasons, one juror is unable to continue hearing the case and has been discharged.
The trial will now continue with an 11-member jury.
Mr Justice Goose, the judge, has explained to the jury that although the video they had to watch yesterday was distressing, it is an important part of the evidence.
Louella's mother Carol Fletcher-Michie has been called to the witness stand
She explains she has been married to Holby City actor John for about 30 years, and had three children. Louella was the youngest and lived at home with her parents.
"She was carving her own way through live, being creative. She loved dancing, and she danced as much as she could," Ms Fletcher-Michie tells the jury
"She was always healthy, into fitness. She always liked healthy food - a stick of celery and humus. She liked running."
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